2 Week Must Have Lists

Now that we've been home for two weeks (which I absolutely cannot believe), I've quickly fallen in love with several baby products while others seem to miss the mark. Doing myself the favor of taking note for future pregnancies/babies (hopefully) and for advice to my sisters/friends. 

The best and most important advice I can give is to have a designated support person (you will need it) and do everything, absolutely every single thing, you possibly can before baby is born! You will not want to because the last few weeks of pregnancy aren't fun but fight the urge to be lazy and do everything you can so that all you have to do post delivery is focus on baby, husband, healing, and home. 

Newborn Must Haves!

A good rocking chair/recliner! Worth the extra money! Spending a lot of time here and I really enjoy the comfort of a good rocker at 2am. 

Moby wrap! Love this! It's been a special gift because to my surprise, it makes me feel like he is so close to me again, similar to how I felt when I was pregnant, and he seems to love it too! No doubt, it has been a better gift than I could have imagined and is so much more than just a piece of fabric to me. It's a road toward healing from the baby blues and pain I've had of not being pregnant anymore and also a comfort from infertility trauma.

Wipe Warmer! This one seems silly but he loves it and it makes diaper changes peaceful and calm! 

Magnetic gowns! Easy to open and so easy to close! Makes dressing and diaper changes a breeze and gets him cozy much quicker than dealing with buttons and snaps. 

Tie gowns for newborns, same as above! 

Large swaddles! Big must have! They keep him wrapped up tight for hours and keep his little hands from sneaking out. I like the Burt's Bees and Caden Lane brand. 

Burt's Bees simple white onesies! Love how great the quality is! So much better than traditional onesies. 

Haakaa Pump. I've had a lot of success with this! I had to watch a youtube video to finally figure out how to use it but it's been great! Especially at 2am when I don't want to hook myself up to the electronic pump or get out of bed. This $14 piece of plastic has been a great gift! 

Baby Lounger Boppy! Big yes to this! This is where Baby Chandler is napping during the day if he is not being held. It's a great thing to have and easy to pick up and move around too. He seems to be very comfortable in it and I'm so glad we have it! 

Bath thermometer. Because how else in the world am I supposed to know the temperature of his bath water?! His safety is of-course number 1 and this helps so much! 

Triple Butt Paste! Thank you Aunt Brittney! This paste is a game changer! He was battling newborn rash and a few applications of this (and some Aquaphor) and it's gone! 

Sleep Sacks! We love these! Keeps him bundled and secure, which has helped him sleep more peacefully and us to sleep without worrying if he's wiggled his hands out and buried himself in blankets or his clothes. Halo and Kyte are the best brands!

Mam brand bottles. These are the only ones Chandler really likes but will also take Dr. Browns without much of an issue. 

Hatch sound machine! We love this! We keep it on the sweetest little nursery songs 24/7 so anytime we go in his nursery, we hear it. He also sleeps much better and for longer periods with the white noise setting. Since it also serves as a night light, it makes nighttime diaper changes easier since we don't have to turn on the big bright light. 

Peri care bottle, station in bathroom, and nursing station with baskets! Must, must, must have! They don't tell you to have little stations set up and ready but thank goodness I did it anyway! It was so convienient to come home and have these little areas set up with baskets of thing I would need to take care of myself. My peri station in the bathroom was neatly arranged next to our master bathroom toilet and it was so nice to come home from the hospital and have this area ready to go! The peri wash bottle is a must have and I found it to not only be hygienic but soothing as well. I also highly recommend Dermoplast spray, the mesh shorts/large pad, and witch hazel pads/spray for peri care. 

Frozen crock pot meals- must have, life saving. Nobody tells you that you'll be overly busy bringing home a newborn but you are! If it's not the baby needing you, it's keeping the house up, managing the extra laundry, and keeping up with all the other things like pedi appointments, lactation, errands that don't stop, church activities, managing all the well wishes/calls/family/visits, caring for yourself, washing extra dishes/bottles/pump/etc, and keeping up with things like requesting birth certificates, social security card, etc. Being able to open a Ziploc bag and pour the contents into a crock pot is a win! One button dial to low heat and dinner is ready in 6 hours. Thank you Laura Howery for this amazing gift. I truly had no idea how much this would be needed and appreciated. 

Aquaphor! A big tub of it!! It is the best and will come in handy for almost everything skin related!

Nanit Baby Camera for nursery! Up there with the rocker, this is a must have! It not only gives me peace of mind when he's napping alone and I can watch/hear him, but it's also a great way for Brandon and I to be connected to what's going on while we're out of the house. We don't have to worry because we can just open the app and see how he's doing, so long as the camera is near him. We keep it on the crib since he naps in there alone and it's so comforting to be able to watch the camera feed and still get some chores done and know he's safe. 

Other tip: Phone charge in the nursery and a chair side table for easy reaching of supplies! I keep mine stocked with clean pump supplies, phone charge plugged in and accessible, baby lotion/aquaphor, and other must haves during the day and night feedings.

Hospital Must Haves!

Nursing gown/robe. Baby Be Mine maternity gown/matching robe made me feel so cozy and motherly after birthing Chandler. They are excellent quality, nursing friendly, and kept me warm without being too hot. Highly recommend! 

Feel good toiletries, good soap bar for postpartum shower (I did soapgirl from Central Market). This is life giving! Such little things but made the biggest difference during my postpartum hospital stay. That first shower was heavenly and having special soap, a great toothbrush, and a little perfume made me feel like me again! I felt great and refreshed after using these simple toiletries but am so glad I thought to pack them. 

Healthy snacks. These came in handy during labor and delivery for Brandon and for both of us in postpartum. 

Lanolin creme. Loved this! Especially in the first week of nursing! It really did sooth my sore nipples and I appreciated the lubrication effect that kept me from having cracked and overly dry nipples. 

Good cozy socks or slippers. Loved having my "I'm going to be a mommy today" no-slip socks! The staff liked them too! They were just a special little touch that I got to have on our special day of meeting our baby, plus they were warm, cozy, and something I can save as a keepsake. 

Water bottle. I took my own and am glad I did! It was much easier to have my own big water bottle than have Brandon running back and forth from the nourishment room. 

Extra baby clothes and blankets! Must have! I thought I had overpacked baby clothes but I did not! Of course the hospital has the typical hospital blankets and baby onesies but it was so special to be able to dress Chandler in his own clothes. I'm glad we took extra because he peed on almost every single one of them! 

Didn't Love Products: 

Honest and Co diapers (may have been source of rash): I loved the cute panda pattern and the diaper overall but I think it may have been the source, or at least a contributor, of his belly redness/rash? I may be wrong, it could be a total coincidence, but I switched to pampers and his rash was better in 24 hours.